One Winter Day
by Siruba Tsubasa
Summary: On a winter morning, Edward Elric wanders around the streets of Central, reminiscing about the past... Meanwhile, a surprise is waiting for him at the Headquarters...


Siruba Tsubasa presents...

One Winter Day... a Fullmetal Alchemist fanfiction

Siruba Tsubasa does not own Fullmetal Alchemist... And that's probably a good thing, because she has absolutely no talent in drawing.

Please R&R

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It had snowed the night before. Edward Elric wandered aimlessly down the streets of Central, thoughts drifting to the last time he played in the snow. Unintentionally, his thoughts focused on her. He shook his head, trying to clear his mind, but the memories refused to stop. They replayed in his mind, clear as if the events had occurred yesterday, instead of years ago.

In his mind, he saw her again. He saw her smile, heard her laugh. Then his thoughts turned darker. In his mind's eye, he saw it. A chimera… that mutant fusion of her and that dog… And those eyes, those pitiful, sorrowful eyes… he had never forgotten them; they remained clear in his memories, even though eight years have passed. Her whimper echoed in his ears:

"Big… nii-san…"

Ed shook his head again, this time harder, trying not to think about what became of her in the end. His eyes stung. He blinked, forcing back the tears that always threatened to come when he thought of her. It wouldn't do if anyone were to see him, the Fullmetal Alchemist, cry.

His feet took him to the cemetery, then to a grave he knew well. The headstone said:

Nina Tucker

1913-1917

The coffin that was buried there was empty. There had been nothing to bury; he knew that better than anyone else. He, after all, had been the one to find the bloody silhouette that was what remained of her. The grave here was merely a courtesy.

Ed clapped his hands and placed them on the ground. Blue light flashed and flowers appeared, growing out of the icy ground. He stared at the grave for just a while longer, then left the cemetery and continued his mindless wandering around Central.

"Hey, Fullmetal!" A voice called from behind. Lost in his thoughts, Ed didn't stop or respond. The voice tried again. "Hey, Fullmetal!" No response. "Elric!" Nothing. "Edward! Ed! Hey! ED!" Still no response. The voice growled. "Fullmetal, do I have to roast you to get your attention? Not that there's a lot of you to roast, considering how _small_ you are and all."

Only one word out of those two sentenced registered in Ed's brain: small. Small. No one ever calls him small. No one. Not without severe retribution, anyway. He spun around in the direction of the voice and screamed:

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO SMALL HE'D BE DWARFED BY A SUBATOMIC PARTICLE!"

Roy Mustang chuckled. "Looks like I finally got your attention, Fullmetal."

Ed narrowed his eyes and glared. "What do you want, bastard?" he growled.

Mustang smirked. "Now, now. That's no way to talk to your superior officer. I just needed you to come to the headquarters, but no one knew where you were, so…"

"You actually left the HQ and went out in the snow to look for me?" Ed interrupted. "Alright, who are you and what did you do to Mustang?"

Mustang's eyes narrowed in annoyance. Despite his age, Fullmetal can be such a brat sometimes. "Just come to the HQ with me. No, it has to be now, Fullmetal," he answered before Ed even had a chance to ask if he could just go by the HQ later… meaning that he'll keep the General waiting until midnight.

"Why!" Ed protested.

"I have a mission for you." Roy turned and began walking in the direction of Central HQ,

"Do you not realize it's my day off?" Ed shouted at his retreating backside.

"Do I need to make it an order, Fullmetal?" Roy heard a low growl and several swear words, followed by footsteps as Ed ran to catch up with him. The two alchemists walked to the headquarters in silence, each lost in his own thoughts.

As Roy walked, he glanced at the young man next to him. Edward had matured. Roy still remembered what Edward was like when he was younger, how impulsive and rude he was, but determined, always determined to right his mistake and regain the siblings' bodies. He still remembered how desperately they searched for the Philosopher's Stone, always chasing after rumors… or, much more often, fragments or rumors, returning every few months with reports of how he blew up that building in that town, and how he demolished that tower in that city.

Then the siblings succeeded in their quest, but only partially. Alphonse had regained his body, but at a price. Edward had been pulled through the Gate into a parallel universe, one without alchemy, and was stranded there. Two years later, a portal had opened between Amestris and the world he was in, and Edward was finally able to come home. But with him came a massive army that laid waste to Central, and when they were finally defeated, Edward had been forced to go back to the other world and destroy his only way home. Alphonse followed him secretly, and both Elrics left Amestris.

A year ago, an array had appeared in Roy's office, and when the light from the activated circle had died down, there lay the Elric brothers in a heap on the floor, with Edward swearing violently. Edward had immediately rejoined the military and regained his status as a State Alchemist, and Alphonse, after much thought, had taken the exam and became a State Alchemist as well.

_He's quieter now_, Roy thought, _quieter and more mature. A bit taller, too, but no less sensitive about his height._ He was distracted from his musings by the jangle of the metal bracelets Edward always wore. Mysteriously, Edward had somehow managed to get his arm and leg back when he and Alphonse were pulled through the Gate and dumped (rather unceremoniously) onto Roy's office floor. The alchemist had taken to wearing those metal bracelets to ensure that he will always have something to transmute into a blade should he ever find himself in a sticky situation. Which he does. Often. Apparently, the Gate had let him keep his knack for finding trouble.

Two soldiers at the gate saluted when they saw Roy and Ed, and let them into the headquarters. The two walked through the silent hallways and made their way to the room where Roy's unit worked. It was empty. No one was there.

"Why's it so empty?" Ed asked.

"I don't know." Roy shrugged. "But it is Sunday. They probably finished their work and went home." He opened the door to his office. "In my office, Fullmetal," he said, holding the door open for him. Edward walked past him, glaring at him with suspicion evident in his eyes.

Once he stepped into the dark room, the lights suddenly clicked on, and small explosions filled the air, along with cheers and whoops.

"Happy birthday, Brother!"

"Happy birthday!"

"Happy birthday, Ed!"

Disoriented from the sudden onslaught of sounds and light, Ed did the first thing that came to mind: transmute his bracelets into daggers and attack whoever it was standing in from of him.

When everyone's eyes recovered from the sudden flash of alchemical energy, they found Edward pinning 2nd Lt. Jean Havoc on the ground, with a dagger at the man's throat and a positively feral expression on his face.

…

"Um… Brother? I think you should let Lieutenant Havoc go now," Al said.

Edward took in his surroundings, finally noticing his friends, the pile of presents, and the 'HAPPY BIRTHDAY' banner hanging above his head. "Um… what's going on here?" he asked.

Roy's voice floated from the doorway. "Fullmetal, do you not realize that today is your birthday?"

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PLEASE, WHEN YOU REVIEW: NO FLAMES!

This is the first fanfic that I've uploaded. Please, be kind. I have other fanfics that just haven't been typed yet!


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